On Orbit: Week Three – Entering Science Mode!

October 4, 2012

For the first three weeks of spacecraft commissioning, we’ve been monitoring system health and watching our spacecraft align with Earth’s magnetic field. All housekeeping data looks nominal, so we’re ready to move into Science Mode!

Early this morning, we commanded the spacecraft into Science Mode to begin the commissioning phase for the science instrument. In science mode, CSSWE stops beaconing to prevent contamination of the instrument measurements. Thanks to everyone around the world who helped track us over the past 3 weeks!

Check back for updates on science commissioning and – hopefully soon – our first science data!